Q: I am 53 years old and am considering having a tummy tuck. . .

Q: I am 53 years old and am considering having a tummy tuck. I had big children and I am a small person. My stomach was stretched out so bad, my stretch marks are like 3 inches wide, gross. I would really love any info I can get from a woman who has had this done. Am I too old to have this done, the cost, pain, etc. How much time will I be out of work?

A: Speaking from the perspective of a female plastic surgeon, 53 years old is an ideal age to undergo surgery to restore your abdomen to it's pre-pregnancy state. It is unfortunate that too many women feel that the stretching of the skin and spreading of the muscles, which occurs as a result of pregnancy, is somehow their fault and can be corrected with more time in the gym. The truth is that some babies put so much pressure on the abdominal wall that the tissues stretch like taffy and that no amount of crunches or core exercises are going to result in correction. Only surgery with repositioning of the muscles will result in correction and a restoration of the abdominal core muscle strength. Recovery from this surgery does take several weeks during which a woman will not be able to chase after children. It is similar to the recovery one has after undergoing a c-section. I advise my patients to enlist the help of their mothers or other family members. After two weeks, you still won't be back to full activity, but most patients can balance the majority of their busy motherhood schedule. Google+